Anywhere You Are
by chocolatequeen
Summary: If home is where the heart is, then... Bedtime rituals bed sharing on Krop Tor.


Rose looked at the Doctor after Ida waved awkwardly and closed the door to their tiny quarters. "Another night, another strange bed."

He bounced slightly when he tossed himself onto the narrow bunk. "Not as strange as some places we've stayed," he pointed out. "At least there's a bed, and a lavatory of our own."

Rose peeked into the adjoining room. "Bit cramped, but serviceable," she announced, taking in the sink, toilet, and shower stall.

When she turned around, the Doctor had taken off his coat and her emergency overnight case was waiting for her on the empty side of the bed. Rose scooped it up gratefully and stepped into the bathroom to change.

The first few times she and the Doctor had been caught away from the TARDIS unexpectedly overnight, she'd spent uncomfortable nights in her jeans and t-shirts, and wished she had some way to wash her face and clean her teeth. After she'd discovered his coat pockets were bigger on the inside, she'd put together an emergency kit and handed it to him without comment.

"What's this for?" he'd asked, his Northern accent more pronounced as it always was when he was confused or upset.

"That's for the next time we have to spend the night away from home. If you've got room in your pockets for the entire works of Shakespeare, you can keep a set of pyjamas and a flannel."

He'd rolled his eyes and muttered about domestics, but the next time they'd had to stay overnight at a stranger's house, the package had magically appeared.

Tonight, Rose sighed in pleasure as she wiped the grime of the day off her face. It was tempting to take a shower, but she could hear the Doctor rummaging around in the bedroom, and she knew he would be ready for her in just a minute. Instead, she changed quickly into the soft cotton pyjamas and pulled her hair back into a ponytail, then went out to join him.

After Rose disappeared into the bathroom, the Doctor reached into his pockets again. Pyjamas and face wash weren't the only things he carried around for nights like this. In just a few minutes, he had two mugs of tea steeping in water that had been heated by the sonic. He pulled out Rose's favourite biscuits tonight, thinking it was the least he could do when he'd trapped her on an alien world orbiting a black hole.

The lavatory door slid open, and he looked up as Rose reentered the room. Her smile tugged at his hearts. He usually loved nights like this, when they were alone together on an alien planet or someplace in time, finding a way to make it as homelike as possible. Today, though… His head throbbed with the TARDIS' fear. It was different when they knew they might never get home.

Rose shook her head and circled the bed to take his hand. "Hey," she said, then brushed a soft kiss over his knuckles. "I already told you, being stuck with you isn't so bad."

The Doctor pulled his hand from hers so he could run his fingers through her hair. She leaned into the gentle caress, then stepped into his arms when he pulled her close. "Are you sure?" he whispered. Their whole relationship was so new—he'd only kissed her for the first time a week ago, after the Wire had taken her face. He couldn't help but think a blunder like this might be enough to drive her away.

"Stop it," she ordered, her voice muffled by his shirt. "I'm not going anywhere, Doctor. And this isn't your fault. We both made the choice to stay here."

He sighed and dropped a kiss on the crown of her head. "We should drink the tea before it gets cold," he suggested. Rose raised an eyebrow, and he knew she hadn't missed that he'd changed the subject without agreeing with her. Still, she sat down on her side of the bed and took the mug from him, so he considered it a slight win.

Once he was settled and the biscuits were on the bed in between them, Rose took a breath. "You're gonna go down with Ida tomorrow, aren't you?"

It was a rhetorical question; they both knew he had to. "If I'm very lucky," he said, "I might find the TARDIS."

"She's down there waiting for you, I know it."

The Doctor reached for Rose's free hand and squeezed gently, hoping she understood how much he appreciated her confidence. He didn't have the level of belief and faith in himself that she did. He'd failed too many times in his life, and he could see too many ways things might go wrong.

Rose yawned, and the Doctor took her half-empty mug from her. "Time for bed, I think." They stood up and brushed the crumbs off the duvet, then turned it down.

She looked at him through drooping eyes. "Trousers off," she mumbled. "They're not comfy to cuddle up to."

The Doctor rolled his eyes, but stripped to his undershirt and pants. "You're bossy when you're tired," he teased as he lay down. His breath caught when she immediately rolled over and curled into his side, one leg draped over his.

"Nah… I'm bossy all the time," she said sleepily. "You like it though."

He was distracted by her finger tracing a heart on his chest between his hearts, and only realised what she'd said when she lifted her head to peer up at him. "You do like it, right?"

The Doctor wrapped an arm around her waist and shifted so they were both lying on their sides, heads resting on one pillow. "Love it," he promised. "Just like I love everything else about you."

To his surprise, her nose scrunched up and she shook her head. "Not everything," she disagreed. "You don't like when I wander off."

He chuckled and kissed the tip of her nose. "All right, almost everything."

Rose tipped her head back and caught his lips in a slow, sleepy kiss that only ended when she yawned again. The Doctor laughed again and pulled her close. "Go to sleep, Rose. We're going home tomorrow."

She sighed and pressed a kiss to his chest. "I'm already home, Doctor. I'm with you."

That conviction behind that simple sentence took the Doctor's breath away, and before he'd recovered, Rose's breathing had deepened as she fell asleep. He sighed and promised himself that tomorrow, he would tell her. When they were back on the TARDIS, he would make sure she knew that she was his home, too.


End file.
